Lab Rats
by ParadiseWolf
Summary: A continuation of Lily Silver's Ame ni Matte: What happens when Kadaj finds a friend. Does she mess up the family bond that the three brothers have? What would happen if she found out their secret?
1. Sesame Balls

Disclaimer: Many characters belong to Square Enix, as well as many of the place names.

This story is basically a fanfiction of a fanfiction, based on "Ame ni Matte" by Lily Silver. The story design and set-up is based around that story. Also, her original characters used in this are Lorna Relson and Marshal Gray will be mentioned here and there. I recommend reading her story, for it is very good, and mine would make much more sense if you did.

Ok, guys, this is my first shot at a story, and the only way to get better is to practice. Please, stick with me, and I will do my best to make this story entertaining.

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Chapter 1: Sesame Balls

Hana walked down the crumbling sidewalk. Her small sandals squeaked with each step she took. Casting a weary eye up at the clouds, she noticed that it would be raining again soon. There was a crinkle of paper as she reached onto the brown paper bag she was holding. When she pulled it back out, her small fingers were wrapped around a sweet sesame ball. She was just about to pop it in her mouth when something caught her eye. Stopping dead in her tracks, she stared at a boy, sitting on a wall not too far ahead of her.

Kadaj was pleasantly perched up top a stone wall, snipping away at the newspaper in his hands. The scissors flashed as he violently cut small shapes that fluttered to the ground below. His concentration was broken when he felt as if someone was watching. Looking over his shoulder, Kadaj expected to see Yazoo at the doorway, calling him in, but no one was there. With a small shrug, he looked about to find the source of the staring. His gaze landed on a girl, who couldn't be any older than he was. Eyes flashing with mischief, Kadaj set down the scissors, hopped off the wall, and walked toward the girl.

Hana saw the boy approaching her. The hand clasping the sesame ball dropped to her side, and the food fell next to her foot. Her grip on the small bag tightened as she took half a step back. Hana was a shy girl, so all she could manage was a measly, "Hi."

Kadaj examined the girl. Slightly tilting his head to the right, his silvery bangs slid off his nose and cheek, revealing his right eye. She wasn't much, really. Not tall, or short. She was scrawny, and her clothes were not only too big, but also quite ragged. Her hair was short, brown, and stuck out in odd angles as if it hadn't been brushed in a good while. The spiky bangs half hid her dull, grey-blue eyes. Kadaj felt like having fun, so he spoke to her in a very rude tone, "Who're you?"

Looking up at the question, Hana stared straight into the boy's piercing green eyes. To most, his slit pupils would be frightening, but to Hana, they seemed very familiar. "Hana," she answered slowly, taking a deep breath before continuing with, "Wh-who are you?"

Kadaj grinned at Hana's tentative reaction. "What, are you scared or something?" he asked bitterly in hopes of intimidating her more. The girl shook her head nervously. Kadaj frowned, not getting the desired reaction. With obvious boredom, he responded to her question, "My name's Kadaj." He straightened his head and narrowed his eyes. He was hit with a spark of curiosity. He bombarded Hana with questions. "How old are you? Where'd you come from? Where're you goin'? What'cha got there?"

The gray eyes went wide at Kadaj's sudden explosion. Hana wasn't quite as timid now that she knew the boy's name. "I'm seven," she started, pausing to see if Kadaj was going to say anything. When he didn't, she went on. "I'm going home, and they're sesame balls." She held out the bag with a slightly shaky hand. "Want one, Kadaj?"

There wasn't a moment's hesitation before Kadaj snatched one of the pieces of food out of the bag. He bit down on it, then gave Hana a look of utter disgust. "They're stale!" he shouted, throwing the rest on the ground into a puddle. He crossed his arms over his chest, staring her down. "And you never told me where you're from. The girl was only a year younger than he, but she seemed much more mature. Kadaj didn't like that at all, but he felt strange talking to her, like he had seen her before.

Hana cast a look on the ground. "I-," she hesitated, "I don't know, actually..." She didn't want to tell a stranger she was a runaway.

There was silence as Kadaj tried to think of a smart comeback. They both jumped as the sky flashed bright. Neither were very fond of storms. Hana looked up at the sky again, just as it began t rain. "I have to go," she said quietly.

"But, I want to talk to you," Kadaj responded firmly. He gave her a dark look.

Hana listened to the thunder roll above their heads. "I'll come back tomorrow, 'kay?" She clutched the bag close in hopes of keeping it from getting wet.

Kadaj held his glare, then answered fiercely, "You'd better."

Hana gave a sharp nod to Kadaj and ran past him, down the sidewalk. She turned a corner and kept going, running through puddles and small streams that were forming on the cement. In time, she reached a large, rusty, unused piece of pipeline. She climbed inside and sat down next to a small pink back pack that she had left there earlier. Unzipping it, she stuffed the bag of food inside, and pulled out a natty blanket. She curled up under the cloth, and did her best to try and sleep, even with the echoing sounds of rain on the pipe.

Kadaj watched the girl run away, sure that she probably wasn't going to come back. Picking up the scissors and leaving the soaked newspaper, he went inside the house. He kicked off his shoes, and joined Yazoo in the living room.

Yazoo looked briefly up from the book he was reading. "Who were you talking to out there?" he asked, eyes returning to the pages.

"No one," Kadaj said as he sat on the floor by the couch.

Loz came into the room, holding a tray of food. Kadaj immediately perked up at the warm smell coming from the bowls. "What's for dinner?" he asked eagerly.

"Soup," Loz told him, setting the tray on the small coffee table.

Kadaj took the chance to whine, "But we've had soup for three days!"

Loz, who took that as an insult to his cooking, hit Kadaj on the back. That action caused Kadaj to jump up. Soon the two brothers were scuffling and bickering around the room.

Yazoo calmly took a spoonful of his soup, ignoring the fight. Eventually, he became irritated with the racket they were making. "Stop fighting and come eat. You don't want cold soup, do you?"

They stopped, staring at the middle brother. Kadaj muttered something along the lines of not wanting any kind of soup, cold or not. Yazoo glared coldly at them both. Kadaj burst out with laughter. "You're giving us evils again, niichan!" the youngest said between giggles.

Yazoo sighed and rubbed his temples. "I am not giving you evils," he answered calmly.

Kadaj ran up behind where Yazoo was sitting on the couch. Using his slim fingers, Kadaj picked up strands of Yazoo's long, silver hair. "You were too giving us evils," he said, still laughing. He started singing, "Evil niichan! Evil niichan!"

Loz did a poor job in hiding a chuckle, and even Yazoo was smiling. After a few minutes, Kadaj got bored and walked around to the front of the couch. He plopped down next to Yazoo. Loz sat on Yazoo's other side, and they all ate in silence, but there was a pleasant air around the brothers.

After the food was gone, Kadaj yawned loudly and leaned back against the lumpy cushions. "Help clean up, Kadaj," Yazoo told him.

Kadaj looked up, shooting his brother a glare. "But I don't want to," he said, maliciously.

Yazoo lolled his head to the side. Why were his brothers so difficult? "You will help."

Loz snickered at Kadaj being told off, which bought him a fierce look from the youngest brother. Kadaj stood up, snatched his empty bowl from the table, and stomped into the kitchen. With a clang, the dish landed in the sink. Kadaj stormed up stairs, deliberately making his footsteps as loud as possible. He threw on his pajamas, and by the time the other two had made it up stairs, Kadaj was wriggling himself down into the blankets on the floor.

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End note: Alright! First chapter done! It's not quite as long as I thought it would be, but it turned out better than I was hoping. Please review!


	2. Visiting

Disclaimer: Many characters belong to Square Enix, as well as many of the place names.

This story is basically a fanfiction of a fanfiction, based on "Ame ni Matte" by Lily Silver. The story design and set-up is based around that story. Also, her original characters used in this are Lorna Relson and Marshal Gray will be mentioned here and there. I recommend reading her story, for it is very good, and mine would make much more sense if you did.

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Chapter 2: Visiting

Using her small fists to rub her eyes, Hana sat up. The rain had stopped, and by the light that shone in through the end of the pipeline, she could tell that it was morning. As she packed the blanket away, she felt the paper bag from the evening before. She decided to skip breakfast. On her hands and knees, she clambered out of the small area, into the street. In a brisk walk, Hana headed off to where she had met Kadaj. As she walked up to the wall, she was upset to find that the boy wasn't there. Gripping its edge, she peered around the stone at the house behind it. She took a deep breath. Timidly and carefully, she walked up to the door. Hana used her knuckles to tap on the wood.

Yazoo looked out through the doorway in the kitchen. Did he imagine it, or was someone actually knocking on their door? He walked down the hallway with light footsteps. When he reached the door, he grasped the handle firmly, and pulled.

Hana gasped and stepped back when the door opened. Expecting to stare straight into bright green eyes, she was caught off guard when she saw someone's stomach. She had to tilt her head back to see who it was. The boy that stood in front of her gazed chillingly back. He had a long curtain of silvery white hair that flowed down over his shoulders, and his eyes were a sharp green color with slit pupils (clearly he was related to the boy Hana had met previously). She stated the obvious, "You're not Kadaj." It was just barely noticeable that her knees were shaking.

"No, I'm not," Yazoo answered flatly. He looked her over before going on. "Kadaj is inside."

Hana leaned to one side to look into the dimly lit house. A small head poked out of a room up stairs and stared through a gap in the banister. "Who's talking about me?" Kadaj asked with a very rude and snappy attitude. He jumped down the stairs two at a time.

Keeping a sharp eye on the girl, Yazoo stepped aside to reveal her standing in the doorway. Kadaj stopped his hopping when he saw who it was. Pretending that it was a normal every day thing for little girls to show up at their door, he said, "Oh, it only you," grabbed Hana's arm, and pulled her into the front yard, shutting the door behind him.

Yazoo, quite stunned at his younger brother's reaction, shrugged it off and returned to the kitchen, where Loz was busy cooking lunch. "Who was that, Yazoo?" Loz asked without turning around from the bake he was busy with.

"It seems," Yazoo started while pulling a chair up next t the counter and sitting down. "That Kadaj has found himself a friend." Loz found that his reckless little brother making friends to be very funny, and gave a snort. Yazoo dismissed it and continued," I'm afraid that it might not be good if she..." He was interrupted when Loz snorted again, finding it even funnier that this friend was a girl. Yazoo cleared his throat, and Loz fell silent. "If she were to stick around," he concluded.

Loz stopped what he was doing to look at his brother. "Why's that?" he asked. "It gets the runt out of our hair for a while, doesn't it?"

"You remember what happened last time we trusted someone," Yazoo said quietly. They both remembered vividly when they trusted the inn keeper and her husband...How the men from the lab came and separated them. Loz was sniffling, trying to hold back tears, and doing a bad job. "Don't cry, niisan. I'll talk to Kadaj. Nothing will happen." Yazoo grasped Loz's shoulder comfortingly. The older brother wiped his nose, nodded weakly, and went back to his cooking.

Out side, Kadaj and Hana traded bits and pieces of information about themselves like favorite colors, foods, and things to do; all while tossing a balled up piece of paper back and forth. There was a moment of silence before Kadaj piped up once more. "You know that guy you met at the door?" he asked, getting an affirmative nod from Hana. "He's my niichan, Yazoo," he explained. "And then there's niisan. His name is Loz. You'll meet him later. He's not very nice." Kadaj laughed.

Hana kept quiet for a few seconds. "Don't you have any parents?" she asked softly, afraid to offend him.

"No," Kadaj said bitingly. He thought before saying, "Well, yeah...mother...but she's not here..." His eyes became clouded with tears, and his face showed an expression of deep anger.

"I'm sorry..." Hana said, trying to be comforting.

"I don't need your pity!" snapped Kadaj. He was giving her the fiercest glare he could.

Hana looked at the ground, feeling as if Kadaj's eyes were burning a hole in her head. "So," she said, her voice wavering, "You're runaways, too?" She bent over to pick up the paper that had fallen near her feet. For a split second, Kadaj saw under the back of Hana's collar. Spread out over her shoulder blades was a strange (and frighteningly familiar) black mark. Hana straightened up, seeing the weird look on Kadaj's face. "What?"

"Where are you from, again?" Kadaj asked, quickly changing his expression.

Hana watched Kadaj wearily. "I told you," she said. "I don't know..."

"Oh," Kadaj said. They resumed their game of tossing the paper. The door opened and Yazoo was standing in the doorway. He watched the two quietly for a few minutes. Finally, He interrupted the silence. "Kadaj, come inside," he said, his voice icy and calm.

"Ten more minutes," came the reply.

"No, come inside now," answered Yazoo, his eyes narrowing.

Next came the all-too-familiar pout. "Niichan!" Kadaj whined loudly. "Niichan, you're giving evils again!" His pout was replaced with a smile as he skipped over to the door. Waving good-bye to Hana, he grabbed Yazoo's hand and went into the house singing a made-up tune.

Hana watched as the door was shut before walking out of the front yard alone. With her head held high, she half skipped, half ran down the narrow street. After about five minutes, she bounded into a small pub. The bartender, Mac, watched as the small girl's hair bobbed spiritedly with every step. "Hullo, Hana! You want a bit of lunch?" he asked with a booming, deep voice.

Nodding and smiling, Hana hopped up on to one of the bar stools. The bartender went into the back and emerged again with a plateful of salad. Setting it in front of Hana, Mac leaned on his elbows across the bar, smiling as Hana shoved a forkful of lettuce in her mouth. He laughed and asked, "Why are you so happy today?"

Hana started talking very fast, and with a very full mouth, so all what came out was, "I mfink I mabe a new friemb today." Her eyes glistened brightly as Mac gave her a questioning look. She swallowed and tried again, "I said: I think I made a new friend today."

"Oh really?" the bartender asked, getting the girl a glass of water.

Hana took the water that was handed to her, and took a sip. "Yup," she started again, "He said he's eight, and he lives close to me." Mac smiled at Hana again. When a new customer came in, he went back to business.

Yazoo sat Kadaj on the couch and stared his younger brother in the eye. "What did you tell her?" his voice lacked emotion, as usual, but had all the bite it needed too to get an answer.

"I'm eight, my favorite color's black, and I like to eat scrambled eggs," Kadaj said bluntly. "Why do you care?"

"What did you say about us?" Yazoo countered.

"Nothing. And, I won't say anything either, got it?" Kadaj glared up at Yazoo.

"Yes," sighed Yazoo. "I get it." He sat down next to Kadaj, wrapping a slim arm around the small shoulders. "So, do you like your new friend?"

Kadaj grinned, saying rather loudly (and most likely loud on purpose), "She's better than niisan!"

Loz's voice came from the kitchen, "Oy, I heard that, brat!"

Yazoo chuckled. "Ok," he sighed, "She can continue to visit."

Kadaj nodded in agreement, his light hair flapping on his face. He looked down at his hands, and began fiddling with the end of Yazoo's shirt. "Hey, niichan..."

Yazoo looked down at Kadaj. "Is something wrong?" he asked. His voice just barely showed concern.

Kadaj looked back up, making eye contact, he said, "Did you ever see that door...the one with the weird mark on it?"

Looking away, Yazoo cringed slightly, then nodded. It was very unlike Kadaj to mention the labs.

"What was behind it?" Kadaj asked, doing his best to keep from showing his fear.

Yazoo's gaze snapped back to his young brother's face. "I don't know...why?" he answered. His normal calm faded briefly, but returned.

Kadaj shrugged, responding with a quick, "Never mind."

Hana finished her salad. Not even a tiny scrap was left in the bowl. Lunch at the Double Shot Pub was the only true meal she got each day, so she made sure to clean her plate. She said her good-byes to the bar staff, and made her way to the door. "Hana!" shouted the bartender. Hana looked back. Mac smiled and said, "Bring your new friend here some time, ok?"

"Ok!" laughed Hana. She walked outside. To her disappointment, the rain had started up again. She hurried down the street, running other errands that needed to be done.

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End note: Wooo! Second chapter done! Hope everyone likes the story so far. Please review!


	3. Science Progect and SpyNanny

Disclaimer: Many characters belong to Square Enix, as well as many of the place names.

**Remember**: This story is basically a fanfiction of a fanfiction, based on "Ame ni Matte" by Lily Silver. The story design and set-up is based around that story. Also, her original characters used in this are Lorna Relson and Marshal Gray will be mentioned here and there. I recommend reading her story, for it is very good, and mine would make much more sense if you did.

Ok, guys, this is my first shot at a story, and the only way to get better is to practice. Please, stick with me, and I will do my best to make this story entertaining.

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Chapter 3: Science Project

Hey, my name's Raphael Fortson. I'm a Turk working for the ShinRa Company. Right now, my job is too keep surveillance on experiment 5-3-A. I don't know why they have "A" in there...it's not like there's any more of them.

It's hard to believe that it's only been seven years since the artificial human was created. Not a clone, not a rebirth of some dead guy, or anything like that. It's just a human. Really, I'm quite surprised that Boss actually funded it. ShinRa doesn't just throw money away, you know. I can remember when I was assigned as security for this project.

Of course, I was late to work on the one day of the month we were having a meeting. Just my luck, too, that all the good assignments were handed out by the time I got there. The folder that was handed to me was stamped with a big, red "confidential" note. On the tab was the acronym "H.A.N.A." Only later did I find out that was short for.

It was quite a drag. I stood at the door of a room as guys in lab coats went in and out of the doors all day. How boring. White coats, white hair nets, white gloves, white shoes, all wearing glasses...it was like they were clones or something. Oh, but every once and a while one of them would be holding a clip board, or pushing a cart, just to mix things up a bit. At some point, I got a chair that I could sit in. Three years of this (I started security two years after the project started). THREE YEARS! Imagine how bored I was by then!

Anyway...so, there I was, sitting and waiting, like I did every day, when there was some otherworldly scream from inside the door. Because it was my job, I rushed in to check it out. It was weird to walk into this room that you had no clue what was inside, but because it was top-secret, you expected to see something like a monster. Instead, there was a little girl, dressed in white, sitting on a metal table and crying. The lab guys that were in there all crowded around her and told me to get out. I did. After all, it was top-secret, like I said, so they were trying to hide whatever they were doing.

That's the day I went to the Head of Science, Hojo, to find out exactly what I was security for. What good is security if you don't know what you're securing, right? So I went and talked to him. He seemed oddly willing to tell me about this top-secret project. That's when I found out that H.A.N.A. really meant _Human Anatomy Neuro-biotic Assembly_. Of course, this sounded like a different language to me, but Hojo explained. They were basically building a human. The _Neuro-biotic_ part meant they were doing it by trying to create a perfect brain from scratch. They way I got it, was they were throwing emotions, senses, and memory into a large pot, mixing it around, and hoping that it turned into someone's gray matter upstairs. I guess it worked 'cause that little girl I saw looked normal enough. Hojo went on to tell me that I would probably hear more screaming and stuff. Apparently, the girl's vocal cords had developed, and they were working on giving her emotions, so she was bound to be sad and angry at times.

All this sounded like some kind of torture to me, but I had no say in the matter, and unless I wanted to be unemployed, I had to keep my mouth shut. When I got back to the door, there was a symbol painted on it that was meant to tell others that what was inside was a biohazard. I was puzzled at how a five-year-old kid could be "hazardous," but whatever. Hojo was right. Every day, there was screaming and wailing coming from inside, but I forced myself to ignore it. Two years of that. Not quite as bad as three, but still a long time.

So, now I had been on the job for five years, and they call me into a meeting about it. As I was going to the meeting, I was curious on what they were going to tell me. Maybe they were going to tell me I was doing something wrong. How wrongly can you sit guard by a friggin' door? So, that most likely wasn't it. Maybe, they were going to take me off of the job, move me to something more exciting...In my dreams. Sure, what I got was more exciting, but I'm still a damn nanny!

All right, when I got to the meeting, there were only two people in the room, the Boss, and Hojo. They explained to me that they would be releasing the experiment into the outside world. I only laughed inside at that. They made it sound like they were letting an animal free from a zoo. Oh well. Hojo also said that they would erase her memory of the labs. I have no clue why they were going to do that, but I guess they had their reasons. My job was to keep watch on her. To follow her around and keep a weekly log of what she was doing. They said they had already tested this type of research out on another project, and it was going quite smoothly. I was going to be briefed on the process later by the guys who were already keeping watch on that other project. I thought, 'Hey, not bad, at least I'll be getting out of this dumb place.'

My last day guarding the door was the first day I ever got a good look at Her. Three guys in white brought her out of the room. I guess there were three because they were taking caution after the shooting a couple months back. The poor girl had messy hair, and was so skinny it was scary. When she looked at me, I couldn't help but feel a bit sorry. She looked like a stray dog with those big gray eyes filled with tears. She was only seven, why were they being so cruel? Never mind that. She was getting her memory erased, so it was all going to be ok.

Later that day, the white coat guys took her outside of the walls and set her sleeping body down on a bench on the side of a nearby street. That's when my super-spy/nanny days began.

I started by talking to two co-workers, Lorna and Marshal. They explained how they kept an eye on the experiments they were watching, and how they wrote the reports. It didn't seem all that hard, so I wasn't worried.

She didn't do much the first week. The bartender, Mac, at a local pub, the Double Shot Pub, became fond of her, and started feeding her lunch every day. When I questioned him, he told me that she called herself Hana. I thought they erased her memory...maybe they didn't do a very good job. Mac also told me that he had given her some gil to help her with living. I found that Hana used the money to buy a used backpack, a blanket, some used sandals, and a new, less white outfit.

The second week wasn't much different. Hana continued to go to the pub daily. She found some sort of residence in an empty pipeline. I wasn't supposed to interfere, so I couldn't help her find a better home. She would go out to the town all day, and return to the pipe at night. I couldn't imagine what she was doing in town. When I saw her, she was always just walking around the streets, picking up spare bits of change that she would find on the sidewalks.

The third week, however, did bring something interesting. On her way to the pipeline, she ran into experiment 2-4-C of the Jenova Project. I had heard that the kid, 'Kadaj' I think they call him, could be violent, but he didn't do anything. They just talked. Every day since then, she's visited that residence in the morning and in the afternoon. The two kids seem to be good friends. I haven't talked to Lorna and Marshal about it yet. Neither know where the other came from, so everything should be alright. Every once and a while, one of the other experiments 2-4-A and 2-4-B, or 'Yazoo' and 'Loz' I think, will come outside and play with them. She seems so happy now, that it's hard to believe she was so upset three weeks ago.

It's now the beginning of the fourth week. I'm not sure what'll happen, but the Boss-man's counting on me to report, so I have to keep playing spy-nanny.

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End Note: Wow, I really like how this chapter turned out for some reason...I guess I just like the change of style. Enjoy...and review, please!


	4. Home

Disclaimer: Many characters belong to Square Enix, as well as many of the place names.

Remember: This story is basically a fanfiction of a fanfiction, based on "Ame ni Matte" by Lily Silver. The story design and set-up is based around that story. Also, her original characters used in this are Lorna Relson and Marshal Gray will be mentioned here and there. I recommend reading her story, for it is very good, and mine would make much more sense if you did.

Ok, guys, this is my first shot at a story, and the only way to get better is to practice. Please, stick with me, and I will do my best to make this story entertaining.

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Chapter 4: Home

Hana was just leaving for her 'home'. Kadaj and Loz stood next to the wall, watching her round a corner and disappear from sight. Kadaj looked up and grinned at his oldest brother. "What?" Loz said, and responded to the grin with a stern look. "C'mon." He motioned to the door. "Yazoo's waiting inside."

Kadaj's expression only became more mischievous. In a smug tone, he responded, "He can wait longer, then." Turning sharply on his heel, he ran off in the direction Hana had gone. Being a child of eight, Kadaj was a curious boy, and it had been puzzling him where exactly Hana went off to at night.

"Hey!" yelled Loz, but it was in vain, and his brother was out of his sight. He went inside, mumbling and complaining to Yazoo how Kadaj never cooperates.

Upon hearing the complaints, Yazoo lolled his head to the side, asking tiredly, "Did he say when he would be back?" Loz only shook his head and walked up the stairs. Yazoo sighed and returned to his previous activity of attempting to finish the book in his hand.

Kadaj's shoes splashed through the shallow puddles left from storms the previous night. His thin, silver hair flopped around his neck as he ran, then swung forward when he stopped abruptly, watching Hana crawl into an empty pipeline. Slowly, he approached the rusty opening. He peeked around the edge and grinned again when he saw Hana rummaging through a bag. "So, you're living in a tube?" he asked mockingly.

Hana jumped, not expecting anyone to have followed her. She spun around to see Kadaj staring at her. Her mind started racing. She hadn't told him where she lived, and wasn't sure if he'd think it was disgusting or filthy. Finding her here, in the slums, in a rusty old pipe, what would he think? Her brow furrowed as she tried to make up her mind of whether she was scared at being caught, angry for him following her, or relieved that she didn't have to keep her home a secret anymore. Opening her mouth, all she could manage was the snappy, defensive comment of, "It's not a tube!"

Kadaj laughed. "Sure it is," he said. He used the toe of his shoe to kick a piece of rust off the edge of the pipe. Hunching over, he did his best to walk through the pipe to where Hana was sitting. Kadaj tilted slightly to look at the bag behind Hana. All he could see was a moth-eaten blanket, and a bread roll (which he guessed she was saving for later). "When you said you were a runaway," He began again, moving so he was looking at Hana, "I didn't think you were homeless." Shifting his weight, he accidentally hit his head on the metal. With his left hand, he rubbed the spot that had collided with the pipe. "Let's go back to my house." With his free hand, he grabbed Hana's wrist.

There was barely enough time for Hana to grab her bag as Kadaj yanked her arm, forcing her to follow him. Since Kadaj was a boy, he could run faster than Hana, so she scuffled and stumbled along behind. Casting a look at the darkening sky, Kadaj impatiently told Hana to hurry up. They whipped around the edge of the wall in front of the clones' house and Kadaj pushed the door open. The two made quite a commotion entering the house. Between the stomping of their feet on the wood floor, Hana's asking for her arm to be released, and Kadaj's laughter, they managed to find their way into the living room.

Yazoo looked up from his plate, and Loz took his eyes off the fork in his hand to stare dumbly at the two children. Yazoo stood up and moved gracefully over to Kadaj, ruffling his brother's hair affectionately. "What's your friend doing here so late?" he asked as kindly as he could manage, but it still sounded stern.

Pushing his now tousled hair out of his face, Kadaj gazed up at Yazoo's cold eyes. "She was living in a tube, niichan," he said, his voice coated in a nagging tone. "And, it's really cold out there."

Loz grunted. Raking his hair, he addressed Kadaj rudely, "So, what? You tryin' to ask if she can stay here?"

"I'm not sure..." Yazoo started calmly.

Kadaj piped up again, cutting his brother off, "You two are sour pusses! Didn't you hear me? I said it's COLD out there!" His voice continued to rise until he was yelling. Another mood swing, no doubt.

With a rub to the side of his head, Yazoo turned away. "Alright, Kadaj, she can sleep on the couch." The smug look on Kadaj's face proved that he knew he had won. Yazoo and Loz weren't exactly positive he was really being kind to Hana, or if he just wanted annoy them. Either way, there was a new person in the house, now. The two older brothers decided to keep an eye on her, though, to make sure she didn't do anything suspicious.

Hana's first task was helping the three brothers tidy up the living room. Kadaj mainly sat on the floor, being difficult. Loz spent most of his time arguing with Kadaj, being just as equally difficult. That left Yazoo and Hana to take the dirty dishes into the kitchen. When they reached the sink, Yazoo turned the squeaky faucet so the water streamed into the basin. Hana dragged a chair to the sink and climbed up on it so she was the same height as Yazoo.

Yazoo watched curiously as Hana started washing the dishes that she hadn't even used. When he caught her giving him a smile, he quickly hid his face under his hair. He wondered why a young girl like her would be Kadaj's friend. He didn't know why their silver hair and snake-like eyes didn't seem to faze her at all. "So," Yazoo said at last. "Why are you so kind to us?"

Hana's smile faded. "What do you mean 'Why'?" she asked quietly.

Looking up again, Yazoo made eye contact, studying the grey eyes with his distant gaze. She looked so peaceful, but there was something more. Living with Kadaj had taught Yazoo how to recognize fake innocence. "It's just..."

"Oh, I get it now," Hana said, focusing on the dishes again. "I think—I think it's 'cause Kadaj looked lonely. You know, sitting all by himself. Sure, he was rude at first, but...well, there was a weird connection...like we were the same."

"Same?" Yazoo asked.

"Uh-huh," nodded Hana. "He looked like he felt lost, like I was." She finished with the plate in her hand, and set it to the side. "Yazoo?" Yazoo hid his confusion behind his calm expression. His silence gave him away, though. "That's your name, right?" Hana's question was answered with a small nod from Yazoo. "Good," she finished as she hopped off the chair. She pulled it across the room to its original spot, and went back into the living room. When she got there, Loz and Kadaj were arguing again. She figured that she must have had to be there from the beginning to understand it. Kadaj looked over at her and dropped the argument. He bounded over. Grabbing Hana's arm, he spun her around. "C'mon," he said excitedly. "Let's play a game! I'm bored!"

When Kadaj finally let go of Hana's arm, she fell to her knees, light-headed and dizzy. "Well, what do you want to play?" she asked while doing her best to stand up. When she looked over at Kadaj, he was grinning again.

Slapping Hana on the shoulder, Kadaj yelled, "You're it!" and ran to the other side of the room. Hana rubbed her shoulder (that was tingling a bit), laughed, and chased after him. The two ran around the house, laughing and yelling at each other. Hana never caught up to Kadaj because, being the boy that he was, he was much faster than her. It was a good twenty minutes before they fell to the floor at the bottom of the stairs, busting with laughter. "You know, you're really bad at this game," Kadaj managed between giggles.

"It's no fair, you're faster!" Hana huffed in defense. Her laughter slowed, and she yawned wide. "Anyways, I'm really tired right now."

Loz came down the stairs with a folded blanket tucked under his arm. He threw it at the girl. Hana caught it. "Thank," she started, but Loz had already gone back up and into the room he had come from. "You?" she said confused. She looked over at Kadaj, who only shrugged.

"Niichan said you could sleep on the couch, remember?" Kadaj said as he stood up. "Goodnight!" He ran up the stairs and into the room Loz had gone into. Apparently, Yazoo had gone up earlier because Hana could hear all three brothers getting ready for bed.

Yawning again, Hana walked slowly into the living room. She had to stand on her tip-toes to click off the light in the corner. In the darkness, she accidentally stubbed her toe on the coffee table. Muttering and mumbling to herself about being clumsy, she climbed onto the couch. Huddling under the warm blanket, she was quickly asleep.

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End note: I'm slowing down on updating because I'm running out of chapters that I've already written, but I'll do my best to get new stuff up frequently! Please review!


	5. Snowy Suspicion

Disclaimer: Many characters belong to Square Enix, as well as many of the place names.

Remember: This story is basically a fanfiction of a fanfiction, based on "Ame ni Matte" by Lily Silver. The story design and set-up is based around that story. Also, her original characters used in this are Lorna Relson and Marshal Gray will be mentioned here and there. I recommend reading her story, for it is very good, and mine would make much more sense if you did.

Ok, guys, this is my first shot at a story, and the only way to get better is to practice. Please, stick with me, and I will do my best to make this story entertaining.

-------------

Hana blinked slowly and sat up. It was still dark, so she was curious on why she had woken up. She then realized that her throat was very dry, and quietly slipped off of the couch. She had only lived in the house for three days, but already knew the floor plan very well. As a precaution, though, she felt along the walls until she found the kitchen. By then, her eyes had adjusted to the dark. She could make out the sink, and, just to the left of it, a cupboard. She thought that they wouldn't mind her using a cup, as long as she washed it afterwards. Crouching down, she pulled the doors open. The hinge creaked as the door swung to reveal its contents. Hana gasped.

On the top shelf, glinting wickedly in the faint light that came from a small window, were two guns. Next to them was another larger weapon that Hana didn't recognize. Suddenly, she wasn't so thirsty anymore. She quickly shut the cabinet and slunk to the floor with her back against it. Her heart was pounding, and her breathing was shallow. Thoughts raced through her young mind. Was this the reason the older two didn't want her in the house? Were they afraid she would discover something dangerous? All this time, Kadaj had never talked about him and his brothers. Yazoo wasn't very open for talking, either, and Loz rarely said a word to her. On shaky legs, Hana made her way back to the living room, and onto the couch. Shutting her eyes tight, Hana hoped that if she fell asleep, this would all turn out to be a bad dream.

And Hana did sleep. Not for very long, though. In a couple of hours, she felt something jostling her shoulder. Moaning groggily, she opened her eyes, staring strait into a pair of bright green eyes. Hana almost jumped in surprise, pushing herself into the cushions to create some space between her face and Kadaj's.

"You sleep like a rock," Kadaj said, now glaring at Hana. "Scoot! I want to sit." He pushed her legs off the couch and plopped down. Hana sat up and rubbed her eyes. Sitting on the table in front of her were two plates of bacon and eggs. Kadaj was already chowing down on one of them. With a blank expression, Hana stared at her food. Kadaj looked over at her. "Aren't you hungry?"

Hana came out of her daze and smiled at Kadaj. In all truth, she wasn't hungry. Not after what she had seen the night before (whether it was a dream or not, she still couldn't decide). She picked up a piece of bacon and looked at it before slowly putting it in her mouth. She chewed in silence. Just as she was finishing her first piece, Kadaj was scraping up the last of the eggs on his plate. Hana sat back and looked around, rather nervously.

"What's your problem?" Kadaj asked while stealing the other piece of bacon from Hana's plate. Shoving it in his mouth, he looked over at her. With a voice muffled from the food, he added, "You're all quiet and stuff."

"Uh?" Hana asked, again jumping out of a daze. "Oh, I-uh...I'm just a bit tired still."

"That's always your excuse!" Kadaj showed a small, angry pout.

"Yeah...uh...oh, never mind." Hana decided to do her best to forget about the previous night, even though she knew it would always be tugging at her mind.

"Whatever," mumbled Kadaj. He stood up. "Hey, let's go outside." He dragged Hana by the wrist towards the door. Hana didn't like being drug around, but she was getting more used to it every day. On their way out of the room, Kadaj stumbled right into Yazoo.

The teen stared down at the two with his normal, icy aloofness. Kadaj noticed Yazoo had his jacket on, and Loz, who was coming down the stairs, did as well. Kadaj opened his mouth to ask where they were going, but Yazoo spoke up. "Stay close to the house." Yazoo then answered Kadaj's unspoken question with, "We're going out."

Kadaj nodded. When Yazoo said they were going 'out', it normally meant they were going pick-pocketing and stealing to get the necessities they couldn't afford. Kadaj couldn't ever find the talent one would need in order to pull that kind of stuff off, so he always stayed behind. All four went outside, but only Loz and Yazoo left the front yard. Kadaj scrambled to the sop of the wall and waved after his brothers. It was a cold morning, and Kadaj seemed to have found a fascination in seeing the wisps of cloud his breath could make. "Hey, hey, look!" he shouted down at Hana. "Look, watch this!" He exhaled sharply, and a whitish puff escaped from his lips. "See?"

Hana giggled for the first time that morning. She made a face as if she was going to whistle, and blew out a long stream of the ghostly smoke. The two laughed and continued to watch their breath. After a few minutes, though, Hana was shivering in her thin clothes. Kadaj was still laughing, but his cheeks and nose were tinted pink from the cold.

Catching her breath, Hana sat down against the wall. She hugged her arms around her scrawny frame in an attempt to keep warm. Throwing her gaze up to the sky, she watched the gloomy clouds. Kadaj, who was sitting above Hana, leaned over and stared down at her. His hair swung around his face as he cocked his head to the side. "What are you looking at?" he asked sharply.

Hana moved her eyes to focus on Kadaj's face which, because of her position, seemed to be upside-down. "It's going to rain again today, I think," she answered softly. For the first time, it finally got through to her just how strange Kadaj looked. Hana wasn't sure why the silver hair and oddly shaped pupils were just now registering in her mind. A hint of aggressiveness that Kadaj always seemed to have was clearer now than it ever had been. Suddenly, Hana couldn't look at him anymore, so she lowered her line of sight to the ground in front of her. Again, Kadaj had a bit of a view down the back of her shirt. The black mark was just barely visible under the collar and through the girl's hair. Kadaj shifted so he was lying on his back along the top of the wall. Hana pulled her knees up to her chest. The two sat in an eerie, silent tension. Hana began tugging on the frayed edge of the leg of her jeans, and she was chewing on her bottom lip. "Hey," she said uneasily.

"What?" Kadaj spat bitterly. "Why can't people just talk? Always taking your time..."

"I...well..." stuttered Hana, now twisting her fingers furiously into the denim around her ankles. She took a deep breath before spilling out, "How'd you get to look like you do?" After hearing what she said, she realized just how stupid the question sounded.

Kadaj's eyes narrowed, and he clenched his teeth. "None of your business," he hissed.

"Oh," sighed Hana. She closed her eyes, realizing that she had upset him. Something cold landed on her toe. She opened her eyes to see what it was. A small, slowly disappearing speck of white was on the tip of her big toe. She looked up to see that Kadaj was sitting up and holding his hands out, palms to the clouds. Small specks of white were floating down and settling on the ground. Neither of the two children had seen snow, being locked up in labs almost all their lives. Hana jumped up and flung her arms out. Laughing, she spun around in circles, then fell to the ground. The tension from before had been forgotten. "What do you s'pose this stuff is?" she asked Kadaj.

The boy was still sitting on the wall with his hands outstretched. He flinched as a snowflake landed on the cheek that wasn't covered by his bangs. He looked over at Hana, eyes bright and flashing with curiosity, as he said, "I dunno...it's weird, isn't it?" Hana nodded, and Kadaj jumped off the wall. The snow only continued to fall harder.

When they were both shivering, Kadaj went inside, dragging Hana along behind him. He ran upstairs to the bedroom. When he came back out, he was dragging a blanket. Sitting on the floor in front of the window, he wrapped it around his shoulders and fixed his gaze on the scene beyond the glass. Following Kadaj's example with the blanket she had been using to sleep with, Hana sat next to her friend. They watched the snow fall. Occasionally, one of them would say something just to break the silence, but the conversations never lasted long. Almost an hour floated by until the weather calmed down. As soon as it seemed alright, Kadaj ran outside again. Hana did her best to keep up, and had skidded to a stop when Kadaj halted on the sidewalk, just beyond the wall.

"What? What is it?" Hana asked frantically. She was jerked awkwardly when Kadaj pulled her behind him as he hid behind the wall. Ha jabbed a finger in front of his mouth, telling her to hush. Scooping up some snow off of the ground, he did his best to pack it into a ball. He raised it above his head.

Loz rounded the edge of the wall and, just as he spotted Kadaj, something came hurling at him. He ducked, but was too late. He got a face full of snow. Kadaj was clutching his stomach with laughter. Loz wiped his face with the sleeve of his jacket. "Hey, scum!" he yelled, aiming a fist at Kadaj.

While the eldest and youngest brothers fought, Yazoo walked past in the direction of the house. On his way, he caught sight of Hana, who was standing back from the scuffle. Hana looked up and caught Yazoo's watchful eye. The cold look stung her, but she was determined not to let it get the best of her. She noticed that Yazoo was carrying a bag of groceries in each arm. Running up to him, but avoiding the fight, Hana held out her arms in an offer to take one of the bags. Yazoo shook his head in a gesture meaning to tell her that her help wasn't necessary. Hana shrugged and followed him into the house.

When they got into the kitchen, Yazoo set the bags down on the small counter. He turned around, and was about to open the cupboard to begin to put away the food, when he saw Hana standing in the doorway. She stared at him innocently, smiling. "Do you need something?" Yazoo asked.

"Nope," came Hana's reply. She didn't leave, but instead, walked quietly up to him. She waved her hand towards her. Yazoo, confused, bent over as she had intended. Hana smiled and raked her hands through his hair. Her finger slid easily through the silver strands and caught little flecks of snow on the way. "You had that white stuff in your hair," Hana said, clarifying her action. "It looked funny."

Yazoo nodded and stood up. "Thank you for getting it out," he replied. "You've got a bit, too." He reached up and brushed his fingers over her spiky brown hair, and the melting specks fell away. He looked at her face. She was smiling up at him so brightly; he couldn't help but smile as well. Something inside tugged at him. Yazoo had always been somewhat jealous that this girl was stealing away so much of Kadaj's attention. He knew Loz felt it too, even though he wasn't quite as close to their little brother. But now, looking at Hana standing in front of him, he was almost sorry for being jealous. How could he be mad at someone so young and cute? He didn't know that she had found one of their secrets, that's how.

Hana turned and left the room, going back outside to make sure Loz and Kadaj were alright. Yazoo made sure she was safely away before opening the cupboard. He started placing the newly bought food on the shelves below the three, very real weapons.


	6. Lies

Disclaimer: Many characters belong to Square Enix, as well as many of the place names.

Remember: This story is basically a fanfiction of a fanfiction, based on "Ame ni Matte" by Lily Silver. The story design and set-up is based around that story. Also, her original characters used in this are Lorna Relson and Marshal Gray will be mentioned here and there. I recommend reading her story, for it is very good, and mine would make much more sense if you did.

Ok, guys, this is my first shot at a story, and the only way to get better is to practice. Please, stick with me, and I will do my best to make this story entertaining.

-------------

Chapter 6: Lies

Kadaj and Hana were running around, playing in the front yard as they normally did. Once again, Hana was 'it' in their game of tag. She was about to give up when, out of luck, Kadaj tripped. Hana took the opportunity, and pounced, laughing all the while. Kadaj flipped around just in time to be tackled. He kicked and squirmed until he had pushed Hana away. Brushing himself off, he sat up and glared over at her. "Fine," he mumbled as he crossed his arms. "You win this time."

Hana grinned and jumped up and down. She never won, so this time was special. Collapsing to her knees, she huffed to catch her breath. Her eyes widened in surprise when she heard her stomach rumble with hunger. Kadaj must have heard it too because he giggled quietly. Hana gave a nervous smile before standing up again. The door opened up behind her. Looking over her shoulder curiously, Hana saw Loz watching them.

"Lunch will be ready soon," Loz said briskly. He turned and retreated to the kitchen. Kadaj ran after, eager to help with the cooking.

Hana walked in quietly, shutting the door behind her. She glanced through the door to the living room and saw Yazoo sitting on the mangled couch. He was reading. Hana snuck into the room and pulled herself up onto the cushion beside Yazoo. The silence made Hana nervous. Yazoo was always quiet, not just around her, and Hana knew that. Still, somehow, the silence seemed almost painful when she was there. Determined to make that feeling go away, she cleared her throat. "Um," She stammered. "Y-Yazoo?" No response, but she wasn't really expecting one, either. "Have you ever hurt anyone?"

That did it. Yazoo looked up from the yellowed pages and studied the girl that sat next to him. Her gaze was turned away from him, almost as if she was afraid of him. "Excuse me?" he asked calmly to make sure he had heard correctly.

Hana gave a small cough before repeating her question, "H-have you ever...ever hurt anyone?" She swallowed, still not looking at Yazoo. This was it. Her curiosity and fear had gotten the best of her, but she couldn't stand it any longer. She had to know why there were guns in the house. She had, only two nights ago, proven what she thought was a bad dream, to be real. Now she wanted to know what three boys, not much older than she, owned such dangerous weapons.

Yazoo ran his tongue over his lips in thought. His cold stare continued to look over Hana. Memories of the lab flashed through his mind. He could see the injured researcher, Deanes, on the floor, clamping his hand over a bullet wound. "No," he started slowly. Normally, Yazoo wasn't one to lie, but now was different. A strange girl, living in their house, stealing his brother from him, she didn't deserve to know the truth. "No I haven't." He looked back down at the book in his hands. "Why would you ask such a strange question?"

Hana's heart beat skyrocketed. "Well—I," she stuttered. "J-just curious...yeah...I just...just wanted to know...I guess." She mentally kicked herself for not being able to come up with a better excuse.

Yazoo wasn't satisfied, but decided not to press any further in the matter, and responded with a soft, "Huh."

Hana was relieved when Loz came into the room with a tray that had on it four bowls. He was shortly followed by Kadaj, who bounded into the room with a grin. As the tray was set down on the coffee table, Kadaj picked up one of the bowls and shoved it at Hana's face. The soup that was inside sloshed and some of it splashed out and dribbled to the floor. "Here!" Kadaj said, shaking the bowl a bit more.

Hana took the soup and held it in front of her, staring at it and hiding her disgust. The thick brown broth (although very unappetizing by itself) had little bits of what could have been vegetables, but they were far from recognizable. Han took the spoon that Kadaj was waving in her face, dipped it in the soup, and held it in front of her mouth.

"Go on," whined Kadaj impatiently. "Go on! Eat it! I helped make it, you know!"

Hana nodded and put the spoon in her mouth. Doing her best not to choke, she swallowed the soup quickly. She didn't stop to think about the consequences before asking, "How did you manage to burn soup?" That earned her a nasty glare from Kadaj.

Stamping his foot on the ground, and waving his own spoon at Hana, he yelled, "What do you mean burnt? It's good! I did a good job! Didn't I, niisan?" He looked over at Loz, who only looked away nervously. "Didn't I?" insisted Kadaj.

"Don't go getting upset," Hana but in. She smiled weekly.

Kadaj snapped his attention back to Hana. "I'm not upset!"

"But you are yelling," Yazoo said calmly. Both Hana and Kadaj turned to look at him. "Please, quiet down."

Kadaj opened his mouth as if to say something then quickly shoved a spoonful of soup in it. He sat on the floor and went at his lunch moodily. Loz and Yazoo had light conversation about what need to be done around the house, their plans for the next day, et cetera. Hana sat silently, curled up on a corner of the couch, picking out little bits from the soup in her hands.

Everything was quiet as they all finished at different times. All the dishes and silverware had been stacked on the tray. Yazoo made a reach for the tray's handles. Quickly, the tray was whisked out from under his fingertips. "I got it," he heard Hana say before she rushed off to the kitchen. Confused, Yazoo looked at Kadaj, who shrugged and fell backwards to lie on the tattered carpet.

The sound of running water could be heard, along with the clinking of dishes. Hana stood atop a chair, scrubbing away at the four bowls and spoons. When she was done, she set them all to the side to dry. She climbed off the chair, and went back into the living room to find that Kadaj was alone. He was lying on his back, playing with the strands of hair that covered his right eye. Hana crept up, but stayed where she thought he couldn't see her. She crouched down and waited for a second to see if he had noticed her before saying, "Boo!"

Kadaj sat bolt upright, turning and glaring fiercely at Hana. Hana was laughing so hard that she had to hold herself up with one arm while she used the free hand to cover her face. "Stop laughing!" Kadaj yelled furiously. "That wasn't funny!"

Hana dropped her hand from her face to her stomach, still laughing, although not as hard. She leaned forward and rested her forehead on Kadaj's shoulder. "Yes it was," she sighed, finally catching her breath. Kadaj crossed his arms over his chest, turning his glare to the leg of the coffee table by his foot.

The afternoon went by without any problem, although, Yazoo felt as if Hana was avoiding him, and _vice versa_.

It was night time before Hana's thoughts really had the chance to pester her. She was trying to get to sleep when images of the pearly metal guns came forward. As much as she hated to admit it, they fascinated her. It was late, so she figured everyone else was probably asleep by now. Sliding off the couch, she quickly moved into the kitchen. Eyeing the cupboard, she pulled at the handle, wincing as the door squeaked. She looked around, afraid that she might be being watched. When she had reassured herself that no one was there, she reached her hand in, and pulled out Velvet Nightmare. It was heavy in her small hands, and the metal was cold on her palms. She turned it over and ran a finger along the intricate designs in its handle. She was bringing it up closer to her face, when an earsplitting scream rang through the silence.

The gun clattered to the floor as Hana snapped her head up. She wasn't sure where the scream had come from and was, quite frankly, terrified. She scrambled to pick up the gun and shoved it back in the cabinet, slamming the door and scrambling into the hallway. She tried to think, but nothing sensible came to mind, so she rushed up the stairs, and headed for the bedroom. Hana was just about to throw herself into the room, when she noticed the light was on and shining through where the door hadn't been shut all the way. Clamping her hand over her mouth to silence her harsh breathing, she leaned in to see what was happening. She saw Yazoo sitting up, cradling Kadaj. Loz was sitting next to them, a hand on Kadaj's head, and muttering words of comfort. Hana strained her ears to catch what was being said.

"Was it him again?" Yazoo asked softly, getting a small nod and sniffle from Kadaj. Loz continued to say things like, "It's ok," and "Just try to calm down."

Hana waited for a few more minutes before deciding to enter the room. She cautiously pushed the door back and went inside. Yazoo and Loz both looked up with harsh gazes. Taken aback by the icy looks from the two brothers, Hana looked at the floor and asked, "Is he ok?"

"Bad dream," Loz grunted in reply, knowing that saying anything other than that would raise suspicion, even if Hana was only seven.

"Oh," Hana said. She kept her eyes pointed at the floor as she tugged at the bottom of her tee-shirt. She was completely confused now. She wanted to know what was so horrible that it had made Kadaj scream like that. And, what did it have to do with whoever this 'him' was?

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End note: Hahaha! Hana snoops too much for her own good.


	7. Memories

Disclaimer: Many characters belong to Square Enix, as well as many of the place names.

Remember: This story is basically a fanfiction of a fanfiction, based on "Ame ni Matte" by Lily Silver. The story design and set-up is based around that story. Also, her original characters used in this are Lorna Relson and Marshal Gray will be mentioned here and there. I recommend reading her story, for it is very good, and mine would make much more sense if you did.

Ok, guys, this is my first shot at a story, and the only way to get better is to practice. Please, stick with me, and I will do my best to make this story entertaining.

-------------

Chapter 7: Memories

Metal tubes and bins lined the walls of room 407 in the ShinRa labs. What was showing of the concrete walls was painted a dull grey. Two small windows were in the top of the wall across from the door. On the other side of them was a bleak scene of brownish-grey rooftops. The floor was made up of speckled, vinyl tiles, and they stretched to meet rubber framework at the bottom of the four walls. In one of the corners, the rubber was peeling away, showing a bit of bare cement. A machine in the opposite corner whirred steadily as the screen showed a heart monitor. A beep sounded every time the line broke into a jagged representation of a heart-beat. A thin wire came out of the side. It ran across the floor, and curved up again to the top of a metal table.

On the table, there was a thin mattress, if it could even be called that. It crinkled every time the subject moved. 5-3-A sat on the uncomfortable mattress. Her knees were curled up to her chest, and her hands had a firm grip on her ankles. Under her fingers, a leather strap bound her feet to the table. Dark red abrasions on her wrists showed that they often suffered the same fate.

A piece of surgical tape held a sensor on 5-3-A's back. The wire that was inserted into it barely brushed against the subject's skin, and it was cold, but that didn't bother her. Nothing did. She had no irritability, or any other emotion for that matter. Her eyes never shone; she never smiled, never frowned. The grey irises (half hidden by brown, tousled hair) were dull and looked as if they were glazed over. Her eyelids blinked only by reflex, and they never closed for sleep.

The subject's shoulders rose and fell steadily with her breathing. Her right thumb twitched slightly with every beep from the monitor. Through the window, it was possible to see that the sun was rising. In a few more hours, it would all start again, same as always.

All day, white-coated men came and left. 5-3-A sat on the table passively as the scientists poked and prodded her, injected her with strange colored fluids, and scribbled notes on clipboards. At noon, a cart was rolled in. On it: a bowl of tasteless soup, and a glass of water. The subject didn't bother to pick up the spoon, and drank down the depressing meal. In the afternoon, the tests carried on as usual.

It was beginning to get dark outside, and the room became less and less crowded. There was only one person left when the door opened to let a new man in. He shut the door behind him, and strode over to the table where 5-3-A was sitting silently, as she always did. The man walked around so he was facing the subject's front, and leaned in to her face.

5-3-A stared into the man's eyes, unmoving, as if she hadn't even noticed him. A greasy stand of the man's hair hung in front of her and quivered every time she exhaled. She twitched as a hand reached up to pat her cheek. The man forced a smile, and turned away.

"There is a special surprise in store for you tomorrow," the man said, turning his head back over his shoulder to look at the girl. His voice was almost as greasy as his hair, and his somewhat hunched back didn't help his appearance at all.

"So everything will move along as planned, Hojo, sir?" the scientist that was standing back finally spoke up.

"Of course," Hojo spat. "There have been no _problems_...no _unexpected changes_ in the research."

"Yes, sir," The scientist said. He nodded and turned to the monitor, flicking switches, and setting it for the night. Hojo gave the subject a crooked smile before leaving the room.

Still unmoving, 5-3-A sat as the scientist strapped her ankles to the table, packed his clipboard into a small briefcase, and left the room. There was a click as the door was locked. Her thumb went back to twitching as the long hours of the night slowly ticked by. At one point, a moth flew against the window. 5-3-A's eyes darted towards it then flicked back to staring forward.

The new day finally arrived. The scientist poked the subject, as usual, injected her with the colored fluids, as usual, and her lunch came and went, as usual. There was nothing 'special' about that day, nothing special at all. Not until she was handed a blue pill. The scientist that seemed to be in charge that day told her to swallow it. Without hesitation, the pill was popped into her mouth, and slid down her throat. It wasn't even twenty minutes before 5-3-A was unconscious. There wasn't any time to spare, as the effects of the pill lasted just long enough to perform the operation, so the scientists set to work.

The pill finally wore off, and 5-3-A regained consciousness. There was a throbbing in her head and throat, and she desperately wanted to clasp her palm to her temples. She made desperate attempts, but her wrists were bound down. Something felt very strange. She didn't know what was going on, or why she was feeling such uncomfortable sensations in her body. She had never felt pain before. Her breathing sped up, and her heart rated shot up wildly. The monitor in the corner bleeped and whined in hysterics. Frantically, scientists rushed to her, holding her shoulders against the table and trying to calm her down. Someone stood by with a sedative injection, just in case. As she thrashed against the grips of the men, the needle was pointed at her thigh. Seeing it, she shut her eyes, and on impulse, opened her mouth and yelled, "NO!"

The man with the needle jumped back, and everyone froze. Ripping her hands out of the loosened restraints, she curled up and hugged her legs to her chest. A new sensation took her as warm tears rolled down her cheeks. She didn't stop screaming, "NO! NO! NO! NO!" until the door flung open. Suddenly, the white coats surrounded her, and all of the scientists began yelling at someone to get out.

Nothing more was done to 5-3-A that evening. The scientist in charge of locking up, looked sadly at the girl's trembling form, and then shut the door. The room was swallowed in shadow. The subject looked around at the four walls. Never before had she noticed it, but they seemed to be mocking her, telling her that she was trapped. A wave of fear washed over her. Her pupils shrunk dramatically, and everything became hard to see. The beeping in the corner seemed louder than ever. It hurt her head. Clamping her hands to her ears, she sobbed into her knees, begging for the morning to come again.

That didn't do any good. The tests went on as they always had. Although, this time, every time a needle touched the subject's skin, it sent searing pain through her arm. No matter how loud she yelled, they wouldn't stop. She even went as far as wrenching the syringe out of one of the scientists' hands, and throwing it across the room so it shattered against the monitor in the corner. That resulted in having her arms strapped down, and being sedated.

At the end of the day, 5-3-A's wrists were let loose again. She sat up and watched the last guy walk around the room, turning things off and whatnot. Her eyes followed his every move. Just as he was heading for the door, she spoke. "What is all this?" she asked, her voice hoarse from yelling all day.

The scientist looked back at her. His eyes were soft and comforting. In her head, 5-3-A told herself that it was all a trick. He was never a nice man, none of them were. "Well," he started uncomfortably. He looked away from the subject to the tubes and bins on the walls. "It's a laboratory." He opened the door.

"Wait!" 5-3-A yelled after him, but the door was shut and locked. A lab. All she was to these men was a test subject. They didn't care how much it hurt her. They didn't care about what she felt. Not as long as they were getting paid. They probably had families to feed. She wondered if their families knew what kind of work they did, and what they would say if they found out.

5-3-A didn't cry that night. The beeping of the monitor echoed in her head, but she didn't cover her ears. There was no use. She wasn't ever getting away from it, so she might as well get used to it. Day ad night passed on in this manner. She returned to being passive most of the time. Hopeless and weak. On occasion, she would yell from pain, but that was it. She didn't talk anymore than that.

One night, not everybody left. Three scientists stayed behind as the rest went home. They waited until it was dark, and then undid her ankle restraints. They helped her off the table. When her feet hit the floor, she was surprised at how cold it was on her bare feet. Her legs were shaky, not used to holding any weight. She looked up at one of the scientists, demanding to know what they were doing.

"You're going for a walk," one of the men explained. "That's all. So, just relax."

The scientists led 5-3-A to the door. On instinct, her legs moved. She never knew she could walk. A weird feeling, one she hadn't experienced yet, flooded her. The corners of her mouth turned up, and she smiled for the first time. Walking made her feel a spark of freedom that she never knew she had. They walked in procession down the hallway. For every door they passed, the girl tried to look through the slit of a window. All of them were dark inside, so she couldn't tell what was behind them.

They were nearing the end of the hallway, when something caught the subject's eye. One of the windows in one of the doors was slightly lighter than the others. That was due to a window in that room, but she didn't know that. She turned her head to look inside, and saw someone sitting on a small bed. The boy inside turned his head so he was looking in the direction of the door. His long, silver hair glided over his shoulders as he did that. But the strangest thing was the bright green eyes that the girl could see, even in the dark. Bright green eyes, with slits for pupils, and a skin tingling, cold glare.

Hana's eyes snapped open and almost screamed when she was greeted by a pair of bright green eyes. But, she soon noticed, they belonged to Kadaj, who stood over her, poking her shoulder impatiently.

"C'mon! Get up, you!" Kadaj said impatiently. "You were whining and carrying on in your sleep about some beeping or something. It was getting really annoying."

Hana sat up, pushing Kadaj out of the way, and rubbed her eyes. She was relieved to know that it had all been a dream (at least, that's what she thought). "What time is it?" she asked groggily.

"Close to noon."

Hana looked up to see who had spoken. Yazoo was standing in the doorway. She couldn't look him in the eye, not after seeing him in a dream like that. She nodded as thanks.

Yazoo noticed Hana's strange behavior, but dismissed it as a bad morning. He watched as Kadaj grabbed Hana's wrist and pulled her outside to play. The ever present jealousy pulled at him again, but it faded quickly, and he went to go find Loz.

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End note: A background from Hana's point of view...just thought I needed to develop the plot a bit more. Please review!


	8. Intrusions

Disclaimer: Many characters belong to Square Enix, as well as many of the place names.

Remember: This story is basically a fanfiction of a fanfiction, based on "Ame ni Matte" by Lily Silver. The story design and set-up is based around that story. Also, her original characters used in this are Lorna Relson and Marshal Gray will be mentioned here and there. I recommend reading her story, for it is very good, and mine would make much more sense if you did.

Ok, guys, this is my first shot at a story, and the only way to get better is to practice. Please, stick with me, and I will do my best to make this story entertaining.

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Chapter 8: Intrusions

With every good thing, there is almost always something bad following close behind. The only way to learn that is through experience. For instance, Kadaj and Hana had stopped to pet a stray dog one afternoon, only to suffer from flea-bites on their wrists later that day. That small happening was a perfect example of a harsh life lesson.

Hana had taken a peculiar liking to washing the dishes. She never put them away, though, for fear of one of the brothers discovering that she knew about the weapons. Dipping a plate into the water-filled basin, Hana listened to what was going on in the next room over. Murmuring voices found their way to her ear, and by the sound of things, two of the brothers were having a hushed argument. One of the voices rose slightly every time it spoke, and Hana decided that it must have been Kadaj's. Her thoughts were confirmed when she heard him shout, "Don't you EVER talk about that place!" The echoing of running feet rang out, and there was a bang as the bedroom door was slammed shut.

Peeking a curious head out of the kitchen doorway, Hana saw Yazoo on his way up the stairs. He stopped when he noticed the young girl watching him. "What happened, is he ok?" she asked with a nervous tone.

A simple, "Yes," was all Yazoo said to answer her before proceeding up the stairs and into the bedroom.

Hana dried her hands on a ragged towel, and threw it to the side. As she left the kitchen, she almost bumped into Loz. "Excuse me," she muttered.

Loz gave a gruff nod, and walked past her. He felt something tugging at his sleeve. Looking back, he saw Hana gazing up at him. With obvious discomfort, he turned around to face her. He focused on a spot on the wall, just past Hana's ear. There was an awkward silence that seemed to last forever. "Well?" Loz finally asked.

"Um," Hana started, fidgeting with the hem of her shirt again. "I-is he really ok?" she managed after a few deep breaths. She seemed to be even more uncomfortable than Loz, and that made him relax a bit. He looked at her face, now, with an expression that said he didn't comprehend. Hana tentatively pointed up the stairs as she asked, "Is Kadaj...is he really ok?"

Loz held his expression, but found an answer, "Yazoo told you he is, right?"

"Uh huh, but," Hana stammered, shutting her eyes tight. She took one last breath before blubbering, "But I don't think Yazoo's telling me the truth, because he doesn't like me. Because...because he doesn't want me here." At this, she started to cry. Her shoulders shook with every sniffle, and she frantically wiped her eyes. Even through the tears, she continued to vent out at Loz, "And, you don't either...and...and...and I don't like the secrets or...or the nightmares...and I just want to know..." Hana looked up at Loz with red, watery eyes. "What's going on?"

Very surprised by the sudden outburst, Loz took a couple steps back. He scratched the back of his neck, think for what to tell her. "Look, uh," he started. "Nothing...nothing's goin' on. And, uh, It's not that Yazoo doesn't like you...he just isn't great around newer people. I don't not want you here, ya know."

Hana wiped under her nose, still staring up at Loz. "Really?" She jabbed her finger at his stomach, the look in her eyes changing to a stern glare. "You're not lying are you?"

"No," Loz answered quickly. "I promise! I'm not lying."

"Good," Hana said, looking down at her feet. Something came thumping down the stairs, then clobbered her by jumping on her back. With her face pressed into the worn carpet, she could hear Kadaj's laughter.

"Ha! I got you good, didn't I?" Kadaj asked smugly. Hana nodded in defeat, just so Kadaj would get off. When he saw her face, he furrowed his eyebrows. "What's wrong with you? No need to cry about it."

Loz walked past, muttering to Hana, "See?" Hana nodded, forcing a smile.

Kadaj glared at Loz's back, then at Hana. "See what?" he asked impatiently. "What do you see?"

Hana giggled, her mood lightening more with every second. "Oh, nothing."

"What do you see?" Kadaj pressed on. Hana giggled again, stood up, and moved back into the kitchen. "Hey!" he yelled, running after Hana. He skidded to a stop, bumping into her back, and almost throwing both of them into the dish-water filled sink.

"What was that for, clumsy?" Hana asked accusingly. The front of her shirt was soaked due to her hands splashing in the water after Kadaj had run into her.

Kadaj shot Hana a harsh glare. "How is that my fault? You're the one that stopped." Hana sighed and wrung as much of her shirt as she could out above the sink. She was in no mood to try to argue with Kadaj. She never won the arguments, so there was no real point in trying anyway. Kadaj leaned over Hana's shoulder, inspecting her shirt. "You've been wearing that same outfit since I met you," he said with a disgusted tone. "That's gross!"

"What do you expect me to do? I've got no other clothes," Hana fired back. She knew she looked ratty, and she definitely didn't need to be told so by Kadaj.

"You're all quiet and stuff again," Kadaj said. "You need to be more," he paused, thinking. "Loud, I guess. Come!" He grabbed Hana's wrist as usual, but this time dragged her upstairs. He pulled her into a small room that was mostly empty, and started shifting through a pile of clothes. "This is the clean pile," he explained. Pointing a finger at a second pile, much larger than the first, he wrinkled his nose. "That's the dirty one. Niichan's going to do the washing today, I think. Ah ha!" Kadaj pulled on something at the bottom of the clean pile. After a small struggle, he managed to pull free a small, dark blue sweater. He threw it at Hana, and went back to searching the clothes. It wasn't long before he pulled out a pair of jeans that were faded from use. He also threw them at Hana. Looking back at her, he laughed. Hana was clutching the sweater in one hand, and pulling the jeans out of her face with the other. Afterwards, she stared down at the clothes curiously. "Don't just stand there, idiot! Go change!"

Hana nodded sharply, saying, "Ok!" and running out of the room. She pattered down the stairs and went into the bathroom. Puling off her shirt, Hana realized just how bad it really was. Sure, she washed up once a day, and sure, she played in the rain and snow often, but her clothes were still a mess. She threw the shirt in the corner of the bathroom, next to the sink, and her jeans soon followed. The sweater was soft and warm, and Hana enjoyed the pleasant feeling of the clean top. Pulling on the new jeans, she found that they were slightly too big for her, and they hung about an inch lower on her hips than her old ones had. She looked at her self in the mirror. The clothes seemed to swallow her. She raked her fingers trough her mop of hair in an attempt to tame the brown mess. She wasn't satisfied, but decided that there wasn't much she could do without a comb anyway. With a hand almost completely hidden by the sweater's sleeve, Hana picked up her old clothes and left the bathroom. She had taken much longer than she thought, for when she peeked around the living room door, she saw all three brothers sat contentedly together.

The two oldest brothers were engaged in conversation. Something funny must have been said, because Loz was chuckling softly. Kadaj was perched on the armrest of the couch, abstractedly playing with strands of Yazoo's hair, twisting them about his finger and muttering to himself. Hana wasn't entirely sure what she was feeling, but somehow, she felt like she didn't belong. She felt out of place, like an intruder. Realizing she hadn't been noticed yet, she shut the door again, walking slowly back to the bathroom. Her mood was slipping, and fast. She hadn't quite recovered fully from her outburst at Loz. She wasn't sure if she would be able to hold back again, like she normally did.

Hana sat curled up in the bathroom. With her knees tucked against her chest, she cried into the once clean sleeve of the sweater. She spent nearly twenty minutes spilling hot tears into the blue fabric. By the time there was a knock on the door, Hana had calmed down enough to ask without sniffling, "Who's there?"

"Who do you think?" came Kadaj's snappy reply. By the sounds of it, he was quite irritated. "Aren't you done _yet_? You've been taking forever and a day in there!" He slammed his fist on the door a few more times for emphasis.

Hana wiped her face off with the dry sleeve, stood up, and opened the door. Kadaj pushed past her, seemingly oblivious to Hana's tear-streaked face. Now shoved out in the hallway, Hana watched as Kadaj slammed the bathroom door behind him. With her dirty clothes from before still in hand, she made her way to the stairs. She plopped down on the bottom step.

Yazoo came around the end of the banister. Not paying attention, he nearly tripped over Hana's tiny frame. With his usual grace, he caught himself before falling, and murmured an apology to Hana. He was about to leave her there, when he noticed something quite different about her. "That shirt is Kadaj's isn't it?" he asked. Hana looked up at him, nodding her head quietly. "It's about time you got into some clean clothes. Here, I'll wash your old outfit." He bent over and gently took the dirty clothes from Hana. He saw that her eyes were slightly red and puffy. Remembering Loz mentioning something about Hana being upset, Yazoo decided to leave the matter alone.

Craning her neck, Hana watched Yazoo disappear up the stairs behind her. He was always so graceful, so aloof and distant. Suddenly, it hit. Hana realized why she felt so intrusive. She always did, and probably always would, envy Yazoo. Clumsy, ditzy Hana could never fit into such a close knitted family.


	9. Too much to Handle

Disclaimer: Many characters belong to Square Enix, as well as many of the place names.

**Remember: This story is basically a fanfiction of a fanfiction, based on "Ame ni Matte" by Lily Silver. The story design and set-up is based around that story. Also, her original characters used in this are Lorna Relson and Marshal Gray will be mentioned here and there. I recommend reading her story, for it is very good, and mine would make much more sense if you did.**

I don't know the background for many of the main characters, so I'm going to make up my own history for them!

-------------

Chapter 9: Too Much to Handle

Sitting alone in the concrete room, 5-3-A could hear a hushed conversation out side the door. She could see through the frosted Plexiglas, the shadows of two figures: one tall and lean, the other short, and somewhat hunched over. The subject quieted her breathing so as to hear what was being said.

"Don't take her near the south end any more. She has gotten too curious about our Jenova specimens," Hojo said angrily.

5-3-A remembered asking "Who was that boy?" over and over again, and never getting an answer. She thought, now, if she kept listening, maybe she would be able to get the answer.

"Even if she does get info," the other man answered. "Who's she going to tell? All of us already know 'bout your Sepheroth clones."

Hojo cleared his throat before responding, "Even so, I don't want to frighten her with stories about the General. Now, go on, Lee, get back to work."

5-3-A watched as the hunched figure disappeared, and the tall figure entered the room with his clipboard. She scanned the room as the scientist, Lee, did his job. She waited for a perfect moment to ask, "Who's Sepheroth?" Her voice was monotone and low.

Lee looked up at the little girl. "Well," he started, looking around shiftily, and making sure no one was around. "I ain't supposed to be telling you this, but..." He paused and lowered his voice. "He's from SOLDIER. He's the general, and he's really strong."

The subject gave Lee a questioning look. "SOLDIER?" she asked patiently.

Lee relaxed. It probably wasn't a bad thing to tell 5-3-A about SOLDIER. After all, almost everyone knew anyway. "Means they've got Jenova cells...they've been injected with Mako."

5-3-A had hears whispers around the lab of what Mako was, and decided not to ask any more questions. One word repeated in her head all that day: Sepheroth.

Hana sat up. It was just beginning to get light outside. Whispers echoed in the back of her mind, and she had a question that she was just burning to ask Kadaj. It was another two and a half hours before the first of the three brothers woke up. To Hana's good fortune, it was Kadaj. That meant she could talk to him without having to worry about the other two eavesdropping. When Kadaj had made his way over to the couch, he sat down and yawned loudly. Hana opened her mouth to ask the question, but a lump formed in her throat, and she froze up. Kadaj gave her a curious look before laughing. It must have been an entertaining sight to see Hana staring at him with her mouth hanging open. Seeing that Kadaj was in a good mood, Hana finally got her strength to ask what she wanted, "Do you know someone named Sepheroth?"

Kadaj's mood went from lighthearted and happy to violently angry in no time flat. He smacked Hana across the face and began to scream at her, "DON'T TALK ABOUT _HIM_! GOT IT?"

Yazoo and Loz both snapped awake at the sound of the screaming Kadaj. They rushed down the stairs and heard their brother start up again.

"DON'T YOU _EVER_ TALK ABOUT NII-SAMA! _EVER!_ OR—OR I'LL HAVE YOU SHOT!"

Loz kicked the living room door open, almost knocking it off its hinges. Yazoo was right behind. The scene before them was worse than they had imagined. Hana was in tears again and rightfully so. Kadaj had a firm grip on her hair, and was screaming directly into her ear. Yazoo was the first to react, rushing over and prying Kadaj away from Hana. Kadaj screamed and flailed about in futile attempts to break free of Yazoo's arm-lock. Loz took the opportunity to act, and ushered Hana out of the room, and into the hallway, shutting and locking the door behind him.

"Shit, Hana," Loz said, pacing in front of the terrified girl. "What'd you do? What happened in there?"

Hana had huddled up on the floor, whimpering. She managed to get out, "I only—only asked a-about Se-Se..." She shook her head, to scared to even say the name anymore.

Stopping his pacing and raking his fingers frantically through his hair, Loz stared at Hana. "You didn't..." he said shakily. Tears welled in the bottom of his eyes. "How did you know?"

Hana sniffed and gazed down at her hands, turning them over in front of her face. "Rats," she said slowly.

Loz wiped under his nose. "What?" he asked to make sure he had heard correctly.

"Lab rats," Hana continued, tears still rolling down her cheeks. "That's all we are, isn't it?" Loz was dumbfounded. Before he had a chance to say anything, Hana was out side, running as fast as she could down the street The front door was left open, swaying lightly in the breeze.

Panting, Hana ran, pushing past people on the streets. Her vision was badly blurred, so she constantly stumbled. Without a destination in mind, she had no intention of stopping. Her thoughts writhed in her head. All those bad dreams; they were all true. All she was was an experiment. It was foolish of her to think she was an ordinary girl. Befriending those clones was a mistake. She had involved herself in something too big to handle. Hana didn't want that. She didn't want to be a part of anything. Her mind continued to twist in her skull. Why couldn't she remember the labs until now? What had they done to her? She was so lost in thought, she accidentally ran head-on into someone. Looking up, she apologized.

A pair of shining brown eyes stared down at Hana. They belonged to a spirited young teen girl. She reached into a small purse that she was carrying, and gave Hana a handkerchief. "What's wrong?" she asked sweetly.

Hana shook her head and whipped her eyes with the white cloth.

"It's ok," the girl said, taking Hana's hand in her own. "You don't have to tell me if you don't want to. Where do you live? I'll take you home."

Hana was about to point in the direction she had come, but stopped herself and shook her head again. She didn't have a home anymore.

"Oh, I'm so sorry," the teen said very sincerely. "Why don't you come with me? Oh! I almost forgot: my name's Tifa."

Hana blinked. Tifa's light mood was beginning to affect Hana. She had stopped crying, and was even starting to show a faint smile. "How could you forget your name?" she asked quietly, as if she was afraid to speak.

Tifa laughed lightly, "That's not what I meant." She ruffled Hana's hair and began leading her down the street. Tifa's black ponytail swung as she looked back over her shoulder. "What's your name?"

"Hana," was the reply. Hana's thoughts had finally calmed down, but still simmered in the back of her brain.

"Well, Hana," Tifa said, smiling. "My mom's making breakfast soon, and I'm sure she'll make extra for you. And, you can clean up, too. You look like you've been through a lot." She let Hana go before her up a set of stone stairs and into a pleasant, clean house. They were greeted by the heat from a wood fire, and the sweet sound of someone humming in another room.

Hana clung to Tifa's arm, and was led into a small kitchen. The tiled floor was white and clean, and the small table was set for two. A tall, black haired woman was standing over the stove, stirring a pot of something that smelled deliciously like oatmeal. The woman stopped her humming and turned to look at the two young girls. "Do we have a guest today?" she asked.

"Yes, mom," Tifa answered. "Is that alright? I would have felt so bad if I would have left her out there on her own." She wrapped an arm around Hana's shoulders.

"Of course it is," Tifa's mother, Cherisa, said with a smile. "Take her upstairs to your bathroom so she can get cleaned up. Breakfast will be ready in fifteen minutes." Tifa did as she was told.

_**---**_

_**Weekly Report 19:** 7/8 to 13/8_

_**From:** Raphael Fortson_

_**To:** Professor Hojo, ShinRa Labs_

_5-3-A has now taken residence with Cherisa and Tifa Lockheart. She seems to have no intention of ever returning to the household occupied by the Jenova specimens. It is my understanding that she may have discovered who they are. It has only been a week now since she ran away from her previous residence, but she has been acting a great deal different._

_She hasn't done much else. She shows no sign of any unusual development for a child her age save the unusual maturity she has always had._

---

Hana headed down to the dinner table after washing her hands and face in the upstairs bathroom. When she walked into the kitchen, she was surprised when Tifa grabbed her up into a hug. "W-what's that for?" she asked, trying to push away.

Tifa was grinning, obviously excited about something. "Mom and I talked about it," she said. "And, we both would like you to stay here and live with us!"

Hana stepped back, covering her mouth. A part of her wanted to say yes, that she would love to stay. The rest of her wanted to run, afraid of making another mistake. The first part won over, and she nodded her head frantically. Maybe, she could give having a family one more try.

Tifa squealed and hugged Hana again. "This is wonderful! We'll be just like sisters!" she exclaimed happily.

Hana laughed. 'Yeah,' she thought. 'Just like sisters.' She was never accepted like a sister in her last home. This move definitely wasn't a mistake. She returned the hug. She buried her face into Tifa's shoulder, saying, "Thank you, onee-chan!" over and over. Tifa may not have known, but by saying they were like sisters, she was doing more for Hana than anyone else ever could.

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Onee-chan means big sister

End note: This was a very hard chapter to write for some odd reason. One more to go and this fic will be finished! I plan to write another one, but I have to wait a while until one of Lily Silver's other ones is done, so our stories don't cross...that would defeat the point of a fanfiction!


	10. Epilogue

Disclaimer: Many characters belong to Square Enix, as well as many of the place names.

Remember: This story is basically a fanfiction of a fanfiction, based on "Ame ni Matte" by Lily Silver. The story design and set-up is based around that story. Also, her original characters used in this are Lorna Relson and Marshal Gray will be mentioned here and there. I recommend reading her story, for it is very good, and mine would make much more sense if you did.

I don't know the background for many of the main characters, so I'm going to make up my own history for them!

-------------

Chapter 10: Epilogue

A train whistle rang out through the station as the arriving train crawled its way to the platform. Black smoke from the engine engulfed the exiting passengers. There was a series of dull thudding as hard soled boots connected with the pavement. They carried their owner out of the station and down the open street. Two children ran past, laughing innocently in their game of 'tag'. The boots stopped.

Hana scuffed the toe of her boots on the concrete. She pushed back her tousled fringe to watch the kids run by. Letting a smile grace her lips, she continued on her way. Hana stopped stock cold when she came to the center of the city of Edge. Rubble was strewn about everywhere, the road was scorched here and there, and there was a horrid stench in the air. Hana took off down the road, spiky hair bouncing around her neck.

Tinkling glass and running water signaled that Tifa Lockheart was cleaning up after the children's lunch. With a deafening bang, the door to the 7th Heaven was flung open. To pre-occupied with washing, Tifa called out, "I'm sorry, we're closed!"

"Tifa!" Hana yelled. She ran up to the bar as Tifa finally turned around. "Tifa, what's going on?" I leave for a couple of weeks, and the city gets trashed?" Hana's voice was high-pitched with curious desperation.

Tifa smiled, sighed, and went back to washing. "You always were one to get to the point," she said, drying a plate. Switching tasks, she placed a glass of water on the bar in front of the flustered teen. "What do you need me to explain?"

"Don't play dumb," Hana growled. She ran her finger around the edge of the glass, and then looked up at Tifa, holding eye contact. "I know I'm no help to you guys, but I don't like being kept in the dark."

"Yeah," sighed Tifa, and she smiled again. "I know." There was a long pause, and Tifa's smile faded. "I'll tell you what I know. You can talk to Cloud later, when he gets home." Hana nodded in agreement. Tifa gathered her words, "I don't know the name of the other two, but the one that acted like the leader was named Kadaj..."

Hana's stomach lurched. Tifa had her back turned again, so Hana's clenched fist and narrowed eyes went unnoticed.

Tifa took Hana's silence as a sign of her listening. "They were," she continued slowly. "Clones...of Sepheroth." There was another long pause. "You know how things are...A couple of fights, here and there."

"Yeah," Hana said absentmindedly. She stared blankly at the glass. "So...uh...what ended up happening?" She did her best to keep her voice normal.

"Sepheroth returned."

Both Hana and Tifa looked up to see Vincent standing patiently to the side.

"Cloud said the clones are all dead, now," Vincent ended, his voice barely audible, as usual.

Hana almost knocked her glass over, sloshing water onto the counter. Everything went black for a moment, and when Hana finally got a grip on her mind, she saw Tifa staring at her with concern. Hana looked away, eyes flitting frantically around the room.

"What's wrong?" Tifa asked, reaching over the counter to place a hand on Hana's shoulder.

"Oh, I just need some air," Hana lied. She slid off her barstool and headed for the door. On her way out, she ran into an energetic Yuffie.

"Hey, you!" Yuffie sang loudly, draping an arm over Hana's shoulders. "How've you been? You're not fond of using your phone, are you?" she joked.

Hana pulled away and left with a distracted wave of the hand.

"What's her problem?" Yuffie asked as she pushed the door open and stepped into the bar. Tifa shook her head and Yuffie shrugged an "Oh well."

Hana walked with her eyes on the ground, no destination in mind. Before she knew it, she had come to the edge of an unfinished highway leading over the destroyed city of Midgar. She stood with her toes sticking out over the ledge, staring at the ruins.

Every day, Hana thought about when she ran away from the three clones. Certain thoughts always seemed to reoccur: What would have happened if she stayed? Would they have let her stay? 'Probably not,' was always her answer to the second question. The first one she left a mystery.

Hana reached into her pocked and pulled out a folded piece of paper. Carefully pulling the edges, she read short note for the billionth time.

_You are now officially released from ShinRa property. Live your life as you please._

_Rufus ShinRa—President_

Had Kadaj, Yazoo, and Loz been released as well? Hana decided that she was going to find out someday. Last she had heard, the brothers were going to Nibelheim. She didn't even know if they had made it, let alone that they'd gone there _and_ back. And, now, they were dead. Hana felt as if her heart was being squeezed, and she couldn't figure out why. She had told herself that she should hate them. Hate them for ever lying to her. Some how, Hana couldn't make herself say that she hated them anymore. All she could think about was how they befriended her, despite who they really were. She turned away from the ruined Midgar and headed slowly back to the bar. As her conflicting thoughts melted away, she suddenly felt as if she'd give anything just to see their faces one last time.

As if on cue, a stray dog knocked over a garbage bin, and a newspaper slid out next to Hana's feet. She picked it up, and almost dropped it when she saw the front page. Gazing down at the two, large, full color photos she felt tears start to form in her eyes. She blinked them back as she unfolded the paper to reveal the rest of the images. The one on the left showed two figures glaring intensely at the crowed around them. Even without the tall, lean figure and long, silver hair, Hana would have recognized Yazoo's picture from his distant expression. The figure standing next to him was obviously Loz (his large build and short hair gave him away). Hana turned her attention to the second photo. It was a picture of Kadaj, and he was falling, hand outstretched toward something beyond the frame of the image. Hana silently complimented the photographer's skills as she moved her eyes to the article.

_**MYSTERIOUS KIDNAPPERS WREEK HAVOC**_

_After the disappearance of the children, the kidnappers show themselves with the stolen children at their sides. They completely demolished the monument at the center of the city..._

Hana couldn't read anymore due to her vision being distorted by tears. She didn't let them fall, though. Folding the newspaper, she tucked it under her arm and continued walking back to the 7th Heaven. When she walked through the door, she saw Yuffie sitting at the bar, Tifa leaning over the counter, talking to the previous, and Vincent standing to the side, listening silently. Hana chose a stool next to Yuffie. Tifa looked over and asked, "Are you feeling better?"

Hana looked down at her hands, twisting her fingers together. A cliché thought came to her: Maybe they're in a better place now. She nodded to herself. A few days of rest, and she's leave to answer some questions, but Hana decided to tell her friends that later. Looking up at Tifa, she managed to smile. "Yeah, I'm fine," Hana said. "Thanks, one-chan."

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End note: Well, it really was a joy writing this fic, and I hope to be able to start my next one soon!


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